Coordination, not permission, needed to enter MILF areas—govt peace panel chair

The Philippine government does not need to ask permission from Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to execute law enforcement operations under the decade-old ceasefire protocol between the two parties, according to the government's chief peace negotiator.

 

The protocol only calls for "coordination" for law enforcement operations under the protocol, which has been in place for over 10 years, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chief of the government peace panel said in an interview aired over GMA 7's Unang Hirit Tuesday morning.

 

"'Yon yung word doon, coordination. Gusto nating linawin na hindi ibig sabihin permission.... Hindi po ganoon ang protocol," Coronel-Ferrer said.

 

"'Yon pong operational decisions sa paglulunsan ng anumang law enforcement undertaking, ay desisyon ng karampatang awtoridad, nung mga Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines at liderato ng ating security cluster," she added.

 

"[Kabahagi] ng pag-implement, yung isang diskarte kaugnay ng coordiantion para sabihin sa kanila na 'hindi kayo yung kalaban dito, hindi kayo yung tinutugis dito, 'wag kayong makialam, 'wag kayong makisali'," Coronel-Ferrer said.

 

On Sunday, the violent clash between forces of the PNP and members of the MILF and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) left at least 44 police officers from the elite Special Action Force (SAF), PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina confirmed Monday afternoon.

 

However, Moro group's chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the clash happened because the MILF had to act in "self-defense."

"Sila ang pumasok. Pumasok tapos uma-atake, anong gagawin mo?" he said. "Hindi pwedeng mag-baby du'n. Self-defense ang nangyari," Iqbal said.

 

Coronel-Ferrer said there should be proper coordination between government and MILF representatives to avoid misencounters.

 

"Mayroon tayong paraan para isagawa yan bagamat. Operationally, marami talagang problema diyan, may dilemma na i-a-undertake. On the one hand, ayaw mong makasagupa sila by mistake, on the other hand alam mo na in certain operations, kailangan talaga top secret. So nagbabalanse ka talaga. On that count, we leave to the judgement of proper authorities," she noted.

 

Pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law 

 

Many lives were claimed due to the gun battle and that should be a more compelling reason to pursue the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), according to the government's chief peace negotiator.

 

"Kaya isinasagawa itong prosesong pangkapayapaan para mabigyan ng solusyon. 'Yung mga talagang ayaw tumahak ng mapayapang paraan, 'yun yung ating talagang pupuruhan ng ating mga law enforcement," Coronel-Ferrer said.

 

"Pero doon sa mga kausap natin, hinihikayat natin sila na ito na talaga 'yung direksyon at sana maging buo na yung loob natin dito, kung may mga masasamang elemento na ayaw pang magtaguyod nitong ating mga napag-usapan ay gawan din natin ng nararapat na aksyon," she added.

 

Following the Mamasapano clash, the Senate and House of Representatives indefinitely suspended the hearings on the proposed BBL, the framework of the political entity agreed on by the two sides under the peace pact signed in March 2014.

 

The BBL, which aims to end the decades-old conflict in Mindanao, seeks to create the Bangsamoro political entity, which will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It will also specify wealth- and power-sharing arrangements between the national government and the new political entity.

 

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said delaying the passage of the BBL would be "a disadvantage to all parties concerned."

 

Both houses are waiting for the reports of the Deparment of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of National Defense (DND), which should be released immediately, Coronel-Ferrer said.

 

"May isinasagawang imbestigasyon ngayon, ang PNP, si Sec. Mar Roxas at secretary of DND. inaasahan nating magiging fare and objective itong kanilang investigation at ang karampatang aksyon ay isasagawa sa lalong madaling panahon," she noted. —Danessa Rivera/NB, GMA News